22 Jun 2011

For me, there will always be a special place in my soul for the Library. That is where I first truly discovered books. When I was a kid, about 11 or 12 years old, I used to live in a small village that had a small but fantastic Library located in the centre. It was my special place that I used to go every Saturday morning without fail. I was the type of kid who could fill hours of time alone reading or writing. Don't get me wrong, I had friends but when it came to the summer holiday those friends were either away visiting relatives for long periods of time, going abroad or just lived too far away. Yes, I did get a little lonely at times but one trip down to the local Library changed that.

It was like a ritual that I had to do otherwise my whole weekend was ruined! So, I wandered down and not only did I look for books to read and absorb but I also met some very friendly people who also lived in the village that I would have a chat with, recommend books and look for books etc. There were also reading competitions that I used to take part in where you had to read a certain amount of books for a certain amount of time. I competed in that until I was alas too old to continue. In those days where I could not afford to go to the local book store and buy books, the Library was a treasure.

Now that I am working and earning my own money, I have to say that I do prefer to buy my books rather than loan them as them I have all the time in the world to read them and if I don't want to keep them I can give them away to charity or to someone else etc. But I have to say that the Library was there for me when I needed it the most and the very fact that it was a free haven for all who enjoyed books and still is to this day is something we should all be proud of. For those who do not enjoy reading, you can also rent DVDs and music and maybe other things that I am not sure of because it has been a long time since I visited a Library.... I believe in some libraries you can surf the net as well, so it is good for people who cannot afford to have the internet at home.

Let's not forget that as well as the books, DVDs, music etc, the Library is also a great place to go and meet people who share a similar interest. There have been so many occasions when I used to visit the Library where I would be looking at a book and another person would come along and say that they have read it and tell me about it which ends up in a full blown conversation about other books and other interests...

The Library, for me, will always be a very beautiful place that welcomes all who steps through its entrance.